Loading conveyor for harvesters

ABSTRACT

A potato harvester has a vertically swingable, potato-unloading conveyor segment, extensible laterally therefrom, and provided with a pair of articulated sections adapted to not only discharge the potatoes gently into the bottom of a container, but to be gradually raised as the potatoes pile up and are heaped above the top of the container. A special, combination hip joint and power lift connection for the sectional conveyor segment causes it to rise automatically so as to prevent damage thereto when accidentally bumped by the potato-receiving container of a trailer, truck or the like. The effective width of the harvester may be reduced for storage and over-the-road travel by tucking or folding the outer section in, under and between the harvester and the inner section.

I United States Patent [191 1111 3,750,858 White 1451 Aug. 7, 1973LOADING CONVEYOR FOR HARVESTERS Primary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby [75]Inventor: Allen A. White, Peabody, Kans. Assistant 'f MillerAttorney-Schm1dt et al. [73] Assignee: Hesston Corporation, Hesston,

Kans- 57 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: 141 1971 A potato harvester hasa-vertically swingable, potato- [21] APPL 9 2 4 unloading conveyorsegment, extensible laterally therefrom, and provided with a pair ofarticulated sections adapted to not only discharge the potatoes gentlyinto [52] US Cl. 198/115 the bottom ofa container. but m be graduauyraised as [5]] Int. Cl. B653 21/12 h Potatoes pile up and are heapedabove thc top of [58] Field of Search 198/109, 113-115, the container AspeciaL combination hip joint and 1923/87, 91; 212/46 59 power liftconnection for the sectional conveyor segment causes it to riseautomatically so as to prevent [56] Rem'mces C'ted damage thereto whenaccidentally bumped by the pota- UNITED STATES PATENTS to-receivingcontainer of a trailer, truck or the like. The 3,592,331 7/1971 Morgan198/115 effective Width of the harvester y be reduced for 3,173,5493/1965 Bender.... 212/46 R X storage and over-the-road travel by tuckingor folding 1,297,852 3/1919 Hudzinski... 198/87 the outer section in,under and between the harvester 2,544,553 Eakin R X and the innersection 199,666 lll878 Shepard 198/115 15 Claims, 6 Drawing FiguresPAIENIEU M16 SHEETZBFS INVENTOR.

Awe/7 r M/m'fe &

LOADING CONVEYOR FOR I-IARVESTERS It is an important object of thepresent invention to provide a conveyor for unloading potatoes from aharvester into the box of a truck or trailer during advancement throughthe field without damaging the potatoes, by the provision of articulatedconveyor sections which may be looped over the side of the box so thatthe discharge end of the outer section is initially disposed adjacentthe bed or bottom of the box.

Another important object of the present invention is the provision of anunloading conveyor segment for potato harvesters which may beprogressively raised as the potatoes build up in the receiving box fromthe bottom of the latter to a heaped pile, while at the same time,maintaining the discharge end of the segment substantially within avertical plane.

Still another important object of my present invention is to provideprotection for the conveyor against damage resulting from accidentalcontact therewith by the box of the truck or trailer.

A further important object of my instant invention is the provision ofan improved fold-in feature wherein the conveyor sections may be storedclosely adjacent the harvester for over-the-road travel.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a conveyorsegment which may be folded down and away by use of the same power as isused to raise and lower the conveyor segment during operation,eliminating manual labor.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a potato harvester having apotato unloading, front conveyor made in accordance with my presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, partially schematic side elevational view ofthe conveyor showing the outermost sectional segment thereof in one ofits operating positrons;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the conveyor;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view similar to FIG. 2illustrating a number of positions of the sec tional segment of theconveyor;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view similar to FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating the actionwhich takes place when the outer section is accidentally engaged with alateral impact.

The nature and details of construction of potato harvester 10 shown inpart by FIG. 1 are of no consequence to the present invention. Sufficeit to simply point out that the potatoes are delivered to a frontunloader conveyor 12 which extends transversely of the path of travel ofharvester 10 and is carried by a support 14 constituting a part of theframework of the harvester l0. Conveyor 12 has a main segment 16 mountedon support 14 and a secondary segment which includes a pair of swingablesections, namely, an inner section 18 and an outer section 20.

Continuous chain assembly 22, carried by rollers 24, is common to thetwo segments and is provided with spaced flight links 26, the upperstretch of assembly 22 traveling from right to left, viewing FIGS. 2 and3. A hip joint 28 mounts the section 18 on support 14 and a knee joint30 attaches section to section 18. A fluid pressure piston and cylinderassembly 32 is used to raise and lower the sections 18 and 20.

Segment 16 has a crossbar 34 beneath assembly 22 provided with a median,depending bracket 36 that pivotally receives one end of cylinder 38 ofassembly 32, and section 18 has a crossbar 40 provided with a median,depending bracket 42 to which the outer end of ram 44 of assembly 32 ispivotally attached by a horizontal pintle 46.

The hip joint 28, presenting an articulation between section 18 andsupport 14, is made up of a pair of horizontally spaced arms 48 and 50,embracing section 18, extending outwardly and horizontally from support14, and provided with horizontal slots 52 and 54 respectively, receivingcorresponding trunnions 56 and 58 that extend outwardly in oppositedirections from the sides of section 18. The knee joint 30, presentingan articulation between sections 18 and 20, includes a pair ofoverlapping hinge plates 60, rigid to each side respectively of eachsection 18 and 20 respectively, and interconnected by hinge pins 62.

The section 20 and the support 14 are interconnected by a pair offlexible members, such as chains 64 and 66, the outer ends of which areanchored to brackets 68 at the inner end of section 20 and locateddirectly above the hinge pins 62 when the sections 18 and 20 aredisposed as shown in FIG. 2. Support 14 has slotted extensions 70, asbest seen in FIG. 5, for receiving the links of chains 64 and 66,permitting adjustment of the effective lengths thereof.

In normal operation, when assembly 32 is used to raise and lower thesections 18 and 20, the chains 64 and 66 are trained or loopedintermediate their ends over purchase means in the nature of chainguiding rollers 72 on the section 18 disposed adjacent the crossbar 40.When the sections 18 and 20 are to be stored into the position shown inFIG. 1, the chains 64 and 66 are trained or looped intermediate theirends over purchase means in the nature of chain guiding rollers 74 onthose plates 60 which are secured to section 20. Additional projections76 on the section 18 serve simply to stow the chains 64 and 66 when thesections 18 and 20 are in the position shown in FIG. 1.

Sections 18 and 20 are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 substantially as will betheir attitudes when unloading potatoes from the free end of section 20into an empty truck body, for example. Assuming that the truck is beingdriven alongside and at the same speed as harvester 10, sections 18 and20 will be looped over the proximal side of the truck and the free endof the section 20 will be adjacent the bed of the truck such that thedistance of gravitational discharge of the potatoes, and therefore,damage thereto will be minimal. The position of chains 64 and 66, loopedover rollers 72 in FIGS. 2 and 3, is designated by the letter A.

As the potatoes pile up in the truck, it is but necessary to graduallyextend the ram 44 and thereby raise the free discharge end of section 20until the sections 18 and 20 reach the position shown by full lines inFIG. 4. As ram 44 swings section 18 upwardly about trunnions 56 and 58,the chains 64 and 66 cause section 20 to swing upwardly about hinge pins62 until the sections 18 and 20 are in substantial end-to-endrelationship, with chains 64 and 66 extending to positions B in FIG. 4,which are virtually straight lines from brackets 68 to extensions 70.

Noteworthy is the fact that as the sections 18 and 20 are raised, theouter free discharge end of section 20 travels substantially in avertical plane such that the truck need not be moved closer to orfarther away from the harvester 10 because of the height adjustmentsthat are effected by operation of assembly 32. The potatoes may beheaped upon the truck well above the sides of its box as sections 18 and20 are raised to the full line position of FIG. 4, and at all times, thedropping distance for the potatoes need not be excessive. The chains 64and 66 should be adjusted in extension 70 such that on the fullyextended stroke of ram 44 the section 20 will not be swung clockwise,viewing FIG. 4, beyond its position aligned with section 18.

In order to place the sections 18 and 20 into the condition shown byFIG. 1, the ram 44 is first retracted to lower the section 20 onto theground 78, causing chains 64 and 66 to assume position C in FIG. 4. Thechains 64 and 66 are then removed from the rollers 72 and looped beneaththe rollers 74, thereby establishing position D for chains 64 and 66 inFIG. 4. Ram 44 is thereupon extended to raise section 18 and, at thesame time, cause section 20 to swing anticlockwise, viewing FIG. 4,about hinge pins 62 to a position underlying section 18 as illustratedin FIG. 4. In this attitude of the sections 18 and 20, chains 64 and 66are in positions E extending in straight lines from brackets 68 toextensions 70. One or more spring catches 80 (FIG. 1) on section 18receive section 20 and releasably hold it locked to section 18. Ram 44is then retracted to lower the sections 18 and 20 and thereby tuck andfold the section 20 in and behind the section 18 as shown in FIG. 1.Chains 64 and 66 are removed from rollers 74 and placed into position Flooped over projections 76, ready for over-the-road travel.

On occasion, when the speeds of the potato receiving trucks and theharvester are not properly coordinated or when the trucks are driveninto position for receiving the potatoes before the sections 18 and areraised high enough to clear the sides of the truck box, the conveyor 12is damaged because of the lateral impact against the outer end ofsection 20. Such damage can be avoided by virtue of the slots 52 and 54and the trunnions 56 and 58 of hip joint 28. As shown in FIG. 4, whenthe lateral impact is against that side of section 20 adjacent chain 66,trunnion 58 is shifted in slot 54 toward the support 14. Pintle 46 actsas a fulcrum about which the section 18 rocks, causing the outer end ofsection 20 to rise a distance equal to the amount of lateral deflectionof section 20, clearing the side of the truck and permitting the truckdriver to take corrective steps before damaging the conveyor 12.

It has been found in practice that if the harvester 10 is at standstilland the section 20 is not quite high enough to clear the side of thetruck when the latter is being driven into position beneath the section20, the rise in section 20 is sufficient to prevent damage within thereaction time for bringing the truck to a stop. Or, if the impact occurswhile the truck and the harvester 10 are in motion, corrective steps canbe taken by the truck driver during the rise of section 20 to theposition illustrated by dotted lines in FIG. 6. Manifestly, if theimpact is in the opposite direction, trunnion 56 shifts in slot 52toward support 14 to cause the same rise in section 20 coincident withand in response to its lateral deflection.

The assembly 22 is driven by four chains 82, 84, 86 and 88, the latterof which drives a pair of sprocket wheels which receive assembly 22 atthe outer end of section 20, one only of which is shown in FIG. 3 anddesignated 90. Hip joint 28 is rendered functional by training chains 84and 86 over a double sprocket wheel to operate by training chains 86 and88 over a double sprocket wheel unit 94 on the proximal hinge pin 74.Chain 82 drives chain 84 through a slip clutch 96 and a double sprocketwheel unit 98 carried by segment 16.

The lower stretch of assembly 22 is kept taut during swinging ofsections 18 and 20 by vertically swingable, spring loaded arms 100 onsection 18 supporting a shaft 102 having rollers 24a. Springs 104 onsection 18, operably coupled with arms 100, yieldably bias the latterdownwardly.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a materials handling assembly:

as elongated conveyor having a main segment and a secondary segment;

an articulation, presenting a joint for vertical swinging movement ofthe secondary segment relative to the main segment; and

power means coupled with the secondary segment for raising and loweringthe latter,

said joint having parts movable relatively in response to lateral forcesapplied to said secondary segment such as to raise the sameindependently of said power means.

2. In a materials handling assembly as claimed in claim 1, said powermeans including a reciprocable ram having a horizontally disposed pintlepivotally coupling the same with the secondary segment beneath thelatter and swingable during actuation of the ram within a medial uprightplane normal to and intersecting the axis of said joint.

3. In a materials handling assembly as claimed in claim 2, said jointincluding a pair of opposed, horizontal trunnions spaced above saidpintle and constituting the axis of swinging movement of said secondarysegment and said pintle.

4. In a materials handling assembly as claimed in claim 3, there being asupport provided with horizontal slots receiving said trunnions forreciprocable movement of the latter along the slots whereby thesecondary segment rises about said pintle as a fulcrum in response tosaid lateral forces.

5. In a materials conveyor:

a support;

an inner conveyor section;

an articulation between said section and the support,

presenting a hip joint;

power means coupled with said section for swinging the latter about saidjoint;

an outer conveyor section;

an articulation between said sections, presenting a knee joint; andstructure for swinging the outer section about said knee joint duringactuation of the power means,

said hip joint having parts movable relatively in response to forcesapplied to the outer section such as to swing the sections in onedirection independently of said power means.

6. In a materials conveyor as claimed in claim 5, said structure beingadapted to fold the sections into overlapping relationship.

7. In a materials conveyor as claimed in claim 6, said power means beingadapted to fold the sections into a stored position alongside thesupport when the sections are in overlapping relationship.

8. In a materials conveyor:

a support; an inner conveyor section; an articulation between saidsection and the support,

presenting a hip joint for vertical swinging movement of said sectionrelative to the support;

power means coupled with said section for raising and lowering thelatter;

an outer conveyor section;

an articulation between said sections, presenting a knee joint forvertical swinging movement of said outer section with the inner sectionand relative thereto; and

structure for raising the outer section relative to the inner section asthe sections are raised by the power means and for lowering the outersection relative to the inner section as the sections are lowered by thepower means,

said hip joint having parts movable relatively in response to lateralforces applied to the outer section such as to raise the sectionsindependently of said power means. 9. In a materials conveyor as claimedin claim 8, said structure being adapted to fold the outer sectiondownwardly and inwardly into underlying relationship to the innersection.

10. In a materials conveyor as claimed in claim 9, said power meansbeing adapted, after the outer section has been placed beneath the innersection, to fold the sections into a stored position with the outersection interposed between the support and the inner section.

11. In a materials conveyor: a support; an inner conveyor section; anarticulation between said section and the support,

presenting a hip joint for vertical swinging movement of said sectionrelative to the support;

power means coupled with said section for raising and lowering thelatter; an outer conveyor section; an articulation between saidsections, presenting a knee joint for vertical swinging movement of saidouter section with the inner section and relative thereto; and

structure for raising the outer section relative to the inner section asthe sections are raised by the power means and for lowering the outersection relative to the inner section as the sections are lowered by thepower means,

said power means including a reciprocable ram having a horizontallydisposed pintle pivotally coupling the same with the inner sectionbeneath the latter and swingable during actuation of the ram within amedial upright plane normal to and intersecting the axis of said hipjoint,

said hip joint including a pair of opposed, horizontal trunnions spacedabove said pintle and constituting the axis or swinging movement of saidinner section and said pintle,

said support being provided with horizontal slots receiving saidtrunnions for reciprocable movement of the latter along the slotswhereby the sections rise automatically about said pintle as a fulcrumwhen lateral forces in either of two directions are applied to the outersection.

12. In a materials conveyor:

a support;

an inner conveyor section;

an articulation between said section and the support,

presenting a hip joint for vertical swinging movement of said sectionrelative to the support;

power means coupled with said section for raising and lowering thelatter;

an outer conveyor section;

an articulation between said sections, presenting a knee joint forvertical swinging movement of said outer section with the inner sectionand relative thereto; and

structure for raising the outer section relative to the inner section asthe sections are raised by the power means and forllowering the outersection relative to the inner section as the sections are lowered by thepower means,

said structure including a flexible member interconnecting the outersection and the support,

said inner section being provided with purchase means over which saidmember is normally trained between the support and the outer section,

said member, upon removal thereof from said purchase means, folding theinner section downwardly and inwardly into underlying relationship tothe inner section as the latter is raised by said power means,

said power means being adapted, after the outer section has been placedbeneath the inner section, to lower the sections into a stored positionwith the outer section interposed between the support and l the innersection,

said power means including a reciprocable ram having a horizontallydisposed pintle pivotally coupling the same with the inner sectionbeneath the latter and swingablc during actuation of the ram within amedial upright plane normal to and intersecting the axis of said hipjoint,

said hip joint including a pair of opposed, horizontal trunnions spacedabove said pintle and constituting the axis of swinging movement of saidinner section and said pintle,

said support being provided with horizontal slots receiving saidtrunnions for reciprocable movement of the latter along the slotswhereby the sections rise automatically about said pintle as a fulcrumwhen lateral forces in either of two directions are applied to the outersection.

13. In a materials conveyor:

a support;

an inner conveyor section;

an articulation between said section and the support presenting a hipjoint for vertical swinging movement of said section relative to thesupport;

power means coupled with said section for raising and lowering thelatter;

an outer conveyor section;

an articulation between said sections, presenting a knee joint forvertical swinging movement of said outer section with the inner sectionand relative thereto; and

structure selectively operable, in response to raising of the innersection by said power means, to forcibly raise the outer sectionrelative to the inner section or forcibly fold the outer sectiondownwardly into underlying relationship to the inner section.

14. In a'materials conveyor as claimed in claim 13,

wherein said structure includes a flexible member interconnecting theouter section and the support, and nent on said inner section for use inforcibly raising the muluple P means over wh'ch member may outer sectionand a second component on said outer be selectively trained.

15. In a materials conveyor as claimed in claim 14, wherein saidpurchase means includes a first composection for use in forcibly foldingthe outer section.

I k l

1. In a materials handling assembly: as elongated conveyor having a mainsegment and a secondary segment; an articulation, presenting a joint forvertical swinging movement of the secondary segment relative to the mainsegment; and power means coupled with the secondary segment for raisingand lowering the latter, said joint having parts movable relatively inresponse to lateral forces applied to said secondary segment such as toraise the same independently of said power means.
 2. In a materialshandling assembly as claimed in claim 1, said power means including areciprocable ram having a horizontally disposed pintle pivotallycoupling the same with the secondary segment beneath the latter andswingable during actuation of the ram within a medial upright planenormal to and intersecting the axis of said joint.
 3. In a materialshandling assembly as claimed in claim 2, said joint including a pair ofopposed, horizontal trunnions spaced above said pintle and constitutingthe axis of swinging movement of said secondary segment and said pintle.4. In a materials handling assembly as claimed in claim 3, there being asupport provided with horizontal slots receiving said trunnions forreciprocable movement of the latter along the slots whereby thesecondary segment rises about said pintle as a fulcrum in response tosaid lateral forces.
 5. In a materials conveyor: a support; an innerconveyor section; an articulation between said section and the support,presenting a hip joint; power means coupled with said section forswinging the latter about said joint; an outer conveyor section; anarticulation between said sections, presenting a knee joint; andstructure for swinging the outer section about said knee joint duringactuation of the power means, said hip joint having parts movablerelatively in response to forces applied to the outer section such as toswing the sections in one direction independently of said power means.6. In a materials conveyor as claimed in claim 5, said structure beingadapted to fold the sections into overlapping relationship.
 7. In amaterials conveyor as claimed in claim 6, said power means being adaptedto fold the sections into a stored position alongside the support whenthe sections are in overlapping relationship.
 8. In a materialsconveyor: a support; an inner conveyor section; an articulation betweensaid section and the support, presenting a hip joint for verticalswinging movement of said section relative to the support; power meanscoupled with said section for raising and lowering the latter; an outerconveyor section; an articulation between said sections, presenting aknee joint for vertical swinging movement of said outer section with theinner section and relative thereto; and structure for raising the outersection relative to the inner section as the sections are raised by thepower means and for lowering the outer section relative to the innersection as the sections are lowered by the power means, said hip jointhaving parts movable relatively in response to lateral forces applied tothe outer section such as to raise the sections independently of saidpower means.
 9. In a materials conveyor as claimed in claim 8, saidstructure being adapted to fold the outer section downwardly andinwardly into underlying relationship to the inner section.
 10. In amaterials conveyor as claimed in claim 9, said power means beingadapted, after the outer section has been placed beneath the innersection, to fold the sections into a stored position with the outeRsection interposed between the support and the inner section.
 11. In amaterials conveyor: a support; an inner conveyor section; anarticulation between said section and the support, presenting a hipjoint for vertical swinging movement of said section relative to thesupport; power means coupled with said section for raising and loweringthe latter; an outer conveyor section; an articulation between saidsections, presenting a knee joint for vertical swinging movement of saidouter section with the inner section and relative thereto; and structurefor raising the outer section relative to the inner section as thesections are raised by the power means and for lowering the outersection relative to the inner section as the sections are lowered by thepower means, said power means including a reciprocable ram having ahorizontally disposed pintle pivotally coupling the same with the innersection beneath the latter and swingable during actuation of the ramwithin a medial upright plane normal to and intersecting the axis ofsaid hip joint, said hip joint including a pair of opposed, horizontaltrunnions spaced above said pintle and constituting the axis of swingingmovement of said inner section and said pintle, said support beingprovided with horizontal slots receiving said trunnions for reciprocablemovement of the latter along the slots whereby the sections riseautomatically about said pintle as a fulcrum when lateral forces ineither of two directions are applied to the outer section.
 12. In amaterials conveyor: a support; an inner conveyor section; anarticulation between said section and the support, presenting a hipjoint for vertical swinging movement of said section relative to thesupport; power means coupled with said section for raising and loweringthe latter; an outer conveyor section; an articulation between saidsections, presenting a knee joint for vertical swinging movement of saidouter section with the inner section and relative thereto; and structurefor raising the outer section relative to the inner section as thesections are raised by the power means and for lowering the outersection relative to the inner section as the sections are lowered by thepower means, said structure including a flexible member interconnectingthe outer section and the support, said inner section being providedwith purchase means over which said member is normally trained betweenthe support and the outer section, said member, upon removal thereoffrom said purchase means, folding the inner section downwardly andinwardly into underlying relationship to the inner section as the latteris raised by said power means, said power means being adapted, after theouter section has been placed beneath the inner section, to lower thesections into a stored position with the outer section interposedbetween the support and the inner section, said power means including areciprocable ram having a horizontally disposed pintle pivotallycoupling the same with the inner section beneath the latter andswingable during actuation of the ram within a medial upright planenormal to and intersecting the axis of said hip joint, said hip jointincluding a pair of opposed, horizontal trunnions spaced above saidpintle and constituting the axis of swinging movement of said innersection and said pintle, said support being provided with horizontalslots receiving said trunnions for reciprocable movement of the latteralong the slots whereby the sections rise automatically about saidpintle as a fulcrum when lateral forces in either of two directions areapplied to the outer section.
 13. In a materials conveyor: a support; aninner conveyor section; an articulation between said section and thesupport presenting a hip joint for vertical swinging movement of saidsection relative to the support; power means coupled with said sectionfor raising and lowering the latter; an outer conveyor section; anarticulation between said sections, presenting a knee joint for verticalswinging movement of said outer section with the inner section andrelative thereto; and structure selectively operable, in response toraising of the inner section by said power means, to forcibly raise theouter section relative to the inner section or forcibly fold the outersection downwardly into underlying relationship to the inner section.14. In a materials conveyor as claimed in claim 13, wherein saidstructure includes a flexible member interconnecting the outer sectionand the support, and multiple purchase means over which said member maybe selectively trained.
 15. In a materials conveyor as claimed in claim14, wherein said purchase means includes a first component on said innersection for use in forcibly raising the outer section and a secondcomponent on said outer section for use in forcibly folding the outersection.